Christmas Island Airport

Coordinates: 10°27′02″S 105°41′25″E / 10.45056°S 105.69028°E / -10.45056; 105.69028
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
For the airport on Kiribati, see Cassidy International Airport.

Christmas Island International Airport
AMSL
916 ft / 279 m
Coordinates10°27′02″S 105°41′25″E / 10.45056°S 105.69028°E / -10.45056; 105.69028
Websitechristmasislandairport.com.au
Maps
Map
XCH is located in Christmas Island
XCH
XCH
XCH is located in Indian Ocean
XCH
XCH
Map
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
18/36 2,103 6,900 Asphalt
Statistics (2017/18)
Passenger movementsIncrease 26,731
Aircraft movementsIncrease 347
Sources: Australian AIP and aerodrome chart[1]
passenger and aircraft movements from the BITRE[2]
A Royal Australian Air Force Boeing C-17 Globemaster III (A41-212) awaiting cargo at Christmas Island Airport

Christmas Island International Airport (

Perth, 500 km (310 mi) south of the Indonesian capital, Jakarta, and 975 km (606 mi) east-northeast of the Cocos (Keeling) Islands
.

Located in an Australian territory, the airport is classified as a Category 2 international airport for all arrivals, including those from Australia. It is owned by the Commonwealth through the Department of Infrastructure and Regional Development and is operated under contract by Toll Remote Logistics.

History

Map of Christmas Island showing location of airfield

From the late 1940s, when the island was still a British colony administered by Singapore and the Straits Settlements Administration, it was serviced occasionally by Royal Air Force (RAF) Short Sunderland flying boats before the construction of the airport [when?].[citation needed]

Tampa affair

A brief revival of activity at the airport occurred in 2001 during the Tampa affair when the heightened Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) traffic was complemented by a large number of Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) and media charters. During this incident, traffic at the airport is said to have been "near-continuous".

Satellite launch facility

After the closure of the casino, the resort was taken over by the Asia Pacific Space Centre, which developed plans for a satellite launch facility on Christmas Island. The company, with solid financial participation from the Australian Government, had planned to start satellite launches in 2004.[

Antonov An-124 and Boeing 747
freighters. To achieve this, the airport would need major extensions, and the Government allocated around A$55m to the task. This included a 600 m (1,969 ft) runway extension, plus additional taxiways, apron space, and other infrastructure.

Facilities

Runway

The airport resides at an elevation of 916 ft (279 m) above sea level. It has one runway designated 18/36 with an asphalt surface measuring 2,103 m × 45 m (6,900 ft × 148 ft).[1] and a 2.3% mid-runway gradient.

Terminal

As the Indian Ocean Territories Islands are duty-free, the airport terminal has a Duty-free shop and licensed kiosk. In 2018 the airport operator, Toll Remote Logistics, introduced complimentary public Wi-Fi. This was the first time Wi-Fi had been offered for free at the airport on an island that only has a 2G mobile network.

Airlines and destinations

Airbus A320
takes off at Christmas Island Airport (2016)
Airbus A320
at Christmas Island airport
AirlinesDestinations
Batik Air Malaysia Charter: Kuala Lumpur–International[3]
Garuda Indonesia Charter: Jakarta–Soekarno–Hatta
Toll Global Express
Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Perth
Virgin Australia Regional Airlines Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Perth

Traffic to and from the airport varies greatly. Along with regular flights to the Australian mainland, the airport receives weekly open charter flights from

immigration detention centre on the island resulted in a temporary increase in RAAF and DIMIA arrivals.[citation needed
]

Statistics

Christmas Island International Airport served 26,723

financial year 2017–2018.[4][2]

Annual passenger traffic at XCH airport. See Wikidata query.
Annual passenger and aircraft statistics for Christmas Airport[2]
Year[4] Revenue passengers Aircraft movements
2001–02
6,515
229
2002–03
8,778
303
2003–04
7,504
249
2004–05
8,125
255
2005–06
8,093
256
2006–07
8,072
262
2007–08
8,594
412
2008–09
6,665
246
2009–10
14,287
395
2010–11
27,286
428
2011–12
37,305
623
2012–13
65,383
1,008
2013–14
60,099
818
2014–15
31,499
396
2015–16
25,533
285
2016–17
25,615
318
2017–18
26,723
347

Fees and Charges

Fees and charges at the airport are set by the Commonwealth of Australia and are considerably higher than other airports, especially for small aircraft. The high cost per movement for aircraft less than 20,000kg of AUD $300 effectively ensures that scenic flights and smaller aircraft use is discouraged.

See also

References

Notes

  1. ^ a b c YPXM – Christmas Island (PDF). AIP En Route Supplement from Airservices Australia, effective 21 March 2024, Aeronautical Chart Archived 11 April 2012 at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ a b c "Airport Traffic Data 1985–86 to 2010–11". Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics (BITRE). May 2012. Archived from the original on 24 March 2012. Retrieved 27 June 2012. Refers to "Regular Public Transport (RPT) operations only"
  3. ^ "Malindo Air files Christmas Island charter schedule from Dec 2016". Retrieved 2 May 2018.
  4. ^ a b Fiscal year 1 July – 30 June

Further reading

  • McGrath, Tony (2019). In Tropical Skies: A History of Aviation to Christmas Island and Cocos (Keeling) Islands. Carlisle, WA: Hesperian Press.
    ISBN 9780859057561
    .

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Christmas Island Airport.
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